Cottonxpress



5 Sheets -Sheet 1.

' (No Model.)

P. L. & W. BRADY.

COTTON PRESS.

Patented Feb. 28, 1888.

INVENTOR WITNESSES: 5%

ATTORNEYS.

(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 2.

' P. L. 82; W. BRADY.

COTTON PRESS. No. 378,570. Patented Feb. 28, I888.

Q 1 R4 N u m a I H I e g i WITNESSES: R INVENTOR:

ATTORNEYS.

N. PETERS, Phatn-Lflhogrq Washington. D. 'c.

(No Model.) I 5 Sheets,Sheet 3'. P. L.& W. BRADY COTTON PRESS.

No. 378,570. Patented Feb. 28,

WITNESSES: INVE TOR:

' ATTORNEYS.

N. PETERS, Plwbkilhognpher, wmnwn, 01 c.

(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 4.

P. L. 82; W. BRADY.

COTTON PRESS.

No. 378,570. Patented Feb. 28, 888.

WITNESSES: I R:

.\L2D BY F M vuum ATTORNEYS.

(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 5. P. L. & W. BRADY.

COTTON PRESS.

No. 878,570. Patented Feb. 28, 1888.

ATTORNEYS.

PATENT Trice.

PETER LEWIS BRADY AND WVILLIAIII BRADY, OF HEARNE, TEXAS.

eor'ros eaess.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 378,570. dated February28 1888.

Application filed April 16, 1887.

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, PETER Lnwrs BRADY and WILLIAM BRADY, both ofHearne, in the county of Robertson and State of Texas, have invented anew and Improved Cotton-Press, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had to the annexed drawings, forming apart thereof, in which- Figure 1 is a plan View of our improvedcotton-press. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section taken on line a: m inFig. 1. Fig. 3 is aside elevation, partly in section, showing the partsof the press drawn apart to allow of the discharge of a bale. Fig. 4 isa vertical transverse section taken on liney y in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is avertical longitudinal section of a modified form of our improved press.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all theviews.

The object of our invention .is to construct a cotton-press in which thecotton will be compressed by a continuous operation as it is receivedfrom the cotton-gin, and in which the balecover may be wrapped aroundthe bale and fastened by ties when the bale is wholly inclosed by thepress.

Our invention consists in two series of rollers arranged in a circle,one series being journaled in a movable carriage and both series beingarranged to receive motion from drivewheels on opposite sides of themachine, all as hereinafter more fully described.

The main frame A is formed of the rectangular side frames, B 13,connected by cross beams a b o d. For the sake of clearness, I will callthe end of the frame markedUthe front end, and the end markedD the rearend. In the front end of the frames B are secured heads E, each having asemicircular notch, F, opening toward the rear end of the frame. Ingrooves in the upper and lower timbers of the frames B are inserted theheads G, having in their forward edges semicircular notches H openingtoward the front of the machine.

In the heads E are journaled the rollers e f f f fiat equal distancesfrom each other and at equal distances from the concave edges of theheads, the peripheries of the rollers proj ecting slightly beyond theedges of the heads.

In the heads G- are journaled rollers f g f 5 f f also at equaldistances from each other and at equal distances from the concave edgesSerial No. 235.069. (No model of the heads, the peripheries of therollers projecting beyond the edges of the heads. The journal-boxes h ofthe roller 9 are arranged to slide in slots 2 formed in the heads G,andadjustable by screws I, which project through the upper edges of theheads and through slots in the upper timbers of the frames 13. The saidscrews I are provided with hand-wheels j, for convenience in turning.The roller 0 is fluted longitudinally, so as to form beveled ribs 70.The feed-roller e islocated underneath the cross-bar b of the frameA,which forms the back of the chute leading to the press, and above theroller f is arranged an inclined board, J, which projects above the topof the frame A and is fitted to the upper surface of the roller f. Theboard J serves to guide the cotton fed to the machine so that it willenter between the rollers e f to the space inclosed by the series ofrollers.

To the rear edges of the heads G is secured a bar, K, provided with aseries of pins, L, for guiding the bale-tie to the bale being formed bythe press. To the rear edges of the heads G are also secured rack-barsM, which extend through guides in the rear vertical posts of the framesB. journaled a shaft, N, carrying two pinions, O, which engage therack-bars M. The shaft N is provided with the crank P, by which it maybe turned, and in the rear end of the frame A areinserted screws Qqvhichpass down through the top of the frame and through guides R, and areprovided with points l, which are capable of engaging the teeth of therackbars M. v

Upon opposite ends of the shafts of all the rollers and feed-roller care placed pinions m, which are of the same diameter on the pitchline asthe rollers, and in pillar-blocks S S S at opposite sides of the machinearejournaled shafts T T, axially in line with each other'and axiallyarranged with respect to the series of rollers, and near the inner endsof the shafts T T are secured spunwheels U U, which mesh into all of thepinions m, so as tov cause the rollers to rotate simultaneously in thesame direction. Each shaft T T is provided with a tight pulley, n, andloose pulley 0.

In the said vertical posts is The shaft T is held in its workingposition by v the screw :19, passing through the bracket q, secured tothe outer pillar-block, El.

The screw pis provided with the hand-wheel 1", by which it may beturned. Upon the inner ends of the shafts T T are secured disks VV,which are a little less in diameter than the space inclosed by therollers. These disks serve to confine the ends of the bale. The shaft T,carrying the disk V, is connected with the tight pulley n and spur-wheelU by a groove-and-feather connection, so that the shaft may be slidlengthwise in order to carry the disk V forward or withdraw it withoutmoving the pulley n and spurwheel U laterally. The shaft 8 of thefeed-roller 6 projects beyond the sides of the frame A, and is journaledin an upward extension of the outer pillar -blocks, S S, and provided atopposite ends with tight and loose pulleys t a.

The heads G,with their series of rollers be ing in their forwardposition, motion is imparted to the shafts T T and s in the manneralready described, and the cotton is delivered to the hopper J from thecotton-gins, and is carried by the feed-roller 6 into the cylindricalspace surrounded by the rollers. When enough cotton has been fed intothe space to fill it and to touch all the rollers, the cotton begins tobe compressed, and as layer after layer of cotton is wound upon thecotton-roll it is more or less compressed until the bale is complete,when the bale-ties are introduced between the pins L on the barK andbetween the rollers f 5 and g, and when the baleties are carriedentirely around the bale between the rollers and the outside of the balethe machine is stopped and the roller 9 is withdrawn by loosening thescrew I, leaving a space between the rollers f and f in which thebale-ties are fastened. After the bale is tied the screws Q arewithdrawn from the rack-bars M, and the heads G, with their rollers, arewithdrawn from the bale a sufficient distance to allow the bale to dropthrough the bottom of the frame A. The roller 9 is then replaced,and theheads G,with their series of rollers, are moved forward by the racks andpinions, and the rackbars are fastened by means of the screws Q,

when the operation just described is repeated.

Although our pressis designed particularly for cotton, it may be usedfor compressing various other articles, such as wool, hay, rags,bagging, paper, and fibrous substances. Our press will compress cottonwithout breaking the fiber. The constant revolution of the bale bringsit into contact with the rollers again and again and tends to beat outsand and dust. The removing of the impurities in baling and thecompression of the cotton without breaking the fiber increase the valueof the product, and as our improved machine requires but one man tooperate it a great saving of labor is effected.

In the modification shown in Fig. 5 the bale is formed between rollers 12 3 4 5 6, the journals of the rollers l 2 being arranged to slide incurved slots 7 8 in the vheads E G. The feed-roller 1 receivesits motionfrom pul- 1ey9 on the shaft 10 through belt 11, and the roller 2receives motion from the pulley 12 on the shaft 13 through the medium ofa similar belt.

Motion is imparted by means of gearing, or in any suitable way, to oneof the rollers 3 4 5 6, and communicated to the other rollers by gearingor endless chains. The bale is formed between the rollers 1 2 and therollers 3 4 5 6, the rollers 1 2 rising as the bale en-' larges. Toinsure'the desired compression of the cotton, the rollers 1 2 are madeheavy or provided with springs for forcing them downward.

By means of this construction pressure is exerted on the cotton firstintroduced, thereby making the center of the bale as solid as otherportions. The feed-boards 14 rise with the rollers 1 and 2. The headsGare arranged to be withdrawn from the heads E whenever it is desired todischarge a bale, as in the other case.

In carrying out our invention we may use as the equivalent of the rack Ma screw or an arrangement of levers. Thebales produced by our improvedpress, being cylindrical, are more easily handled than the ordinaryrectangular bales, and the bales, being wound in spiral layers, arecapable of being unwound from the outside in case they take fire, sothat only the outer layers of the bale will be inj ured.

Having thus fully described our invention, we'claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent- 1. The combination, with the frame having.

the fixed heads and the opposing sliding heads, each havinga series ofrollers, the baling-space between which is central, divided by themeeting edge of the two sets of heads, of a rack or its statedequivalent for adjusting the movable heads, and means for rotating theseries of rollers in the same direction, substantially as set forth.

2. In a cottOnpress, the combination, with the frame A and the fixedheads E, having a series of rollers, one of which is a feed-roller, ofthe sliding heads G, having slots and adjustable bearings therein, and aseries of rollers j ournaled in said sliding heads, one of the rollersbeing journaled in the said adjustable bearings, substantially as setforth.

3. The combination, with the frame and the series of rollers journaledtherein, of a disk closing the space between said rollers at one end,and a second disk adjustable toward and from the first-named disk toregulate the width of the baling-space between the two said disks,substantially as set forth.

4. The combination, with the frame and the series of rotating rollers journaled therein, of a disk closing the space between the rollers at oneend and rotating independently thereof in the same direction, and asecond disk at the opposite end adjustable into and out of said spaceand rotating independently of said rollers and in the same directiontherewith, substantially as set forth.

5. In a cotton-press, the combination of the frame A, heads E, rollers ff J J, and the fluted feed-roller e, the hopper J, the movable heads G,the rollers f f f f and the movable roller 9, and means for withdrawingthe heads G, with their rollers, from the heads E, with their rollers,substantially as described.

6. The combination, with the heads G, with their series of rollers, oneof which is outwardly-adj ustable, of the bar K, provided with pins Ifor guiding the bale-tie to the bale, substantially as described.

7. The combination, with the frame A, the heads G, and rollers carriedthereby, of the raok-bars M, pinions O, the shaft'N, and thefastening-screws Q, substantially as described.

PETER LEWIS BRADY. WILLIAM BRADY.

Witnesses:

J. G. ADAM, E. .A. ALLEN.

